Turkey has witnessed an alarming upsurge in police brutality fostered by a "culture of impunity" and a government-inspired contempt of human rights, campaigners said yesterday.

In a damning report, Human Rights Watch said complaints against the police for excessive force had risen sharply since the start of last year while the number of officers convicted had dropped. A total of 3,339 people had complained about police ill-treatment in 2007, up from 2,854 the year before, but only 48 of those complaints had led to convictions.

The 80-page report, Closing Ranks Against Accountability, recounts numerous cases of suspects dying or suffering serious injury at the hands of police, sometimes after being stopped for routine identity checks. Police frequently cover up evidence while accused officers are routinely exonerated after internal disciplinary proceedings, the report says.

In one instance, Feyzullah Ete, 26, a factory worker with two children, died after being kicked in the chest by a plain-clothed officer who had demanded to see his ID in a children's play area. Following private court hearings, closed to the media and human rights activists, the dead man's brother is in custody accused of insulting the court after reacting angrily to the decision to release the officer, Ali Mutlu, who remains free on bail.

Launching the report in Istanbul, Human Rights Watch's executive director, Kenneth Roth, said those who lodged complaints frequently found themselves facing prosecution on counter charges, such as resisting arrest.

The rise in violent incidents was partly attributable, he said, to laws introduced by the governing Justice and Development party (AKP), which has built its image on a reform programme designed to aid Turkey's EU membership bid. These include a law permitting police to use lethal force before it becomes a "last resort" necessary to prevent a threat to life, another allowing officers to conduct identity checks without reasonable grounds for suspicion, and anti-terrorism legislation enabling suspects to be detained for 24 hours without access to a lawyer.

Police felt free to commit violent acts because they believed themselves untouchable, Roth said. "A culture of impunity prevails and we fear that culture lies behind this increase in police violence. We have called on the government to take a series of steps that would replace this with a culture of accountability."

However, Roth said that attempts at persuading officials to take these steps, during two days of talks in Ankara, had met stiff resistance, particularly from the deputy prime minister, Cemil Cicek, who has special responsibility for human rights. Cicek reportedly attempted to justify police excesses by referring to alleged abuses in Europe, even citing Ireland's rejection of the EU constitution in a referendum last June.

"I left our meeting with Mr Cicek wondering if he is responsible for upholding human rights or violating them," Roth said. "He had an utterly contemptuous view of human rights and showed no inclination to take remedial steps. If he is indicative of the state of the reform process in Turkey, then it really is in deep trouble."